The 'Holy Trinity' Orthodox Cathedral ( ro, Catedrala "Sfânta Treime" din Arad) is a
Romanian Orthodox
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates ...
cathedral in
Arad, in the
Crișana
Crișana ( hu, Körösvidék, german: Kreischgebiet) is a geographical and historical region in north-western Romania, named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Rom ...
region of western
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. It is the main cathedral of the episcopal see of Arad, currently headed by
Timotei, Archbishop of Arad.
History
The cornerstone of the new cathedral was laid by the bishop, Timotei in November 1991. Proper construction efforts started in 1992, when the work started on consolidating the ground and the foundation of the new church. Construction lasted until 2006, when the last exterior works were being made and the large front
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
was completed.
Long before construction has ended, due to the specific of the church, bells were brought in from a foundry in
Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...
. With a summed mass of 6.56 tons, respectively 4050, 1070, 745, 450 and 250 kg for the five bells, they were mounted in December 2003. In 2006 the cathedral had 4 golden crosses mounted upon its domes. The three small crosses measured 3,5 meters each and the large one was 7,30 meters high.
Inauguration
On the
feast
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
of
Saint Nicholas, in 2008, the cathedral was inaugurated by the Patriarch of All Romania,
Daniel. A gathering of clergy and believers took part in the blessing of the church and its inauguration. As the cathedral has been built, a temporary altar above the ground, but at the same time underneath the floor of the nave and subsequently under the main altar was used for celebrating liturgy, was blessed at the same time during the inauguration and kept as a permanent installation.
Inauguration event
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See also
*List of largest Orthodox cathedrals
This is a list of the largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings in the world, based on area and capacity. Any Eastern Orthodox church building that has a capacity of 3,000 people or more, can be added to this page. Entries are included even if they ...
* Church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Arad, Romania), the previous cathedral
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arad Orthodox Cathedral
Romanian Orthodox cathedrals in Romania
Buildings and structures in Arad, Romania
Churches completed in 2008
20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings